Known to be the oldest and only surviving Opera House in all of India, the Royal Opera House is situated on Charni Road, near Girgaon Chowpatty. This building was initially inaugurated the Royal Opera House was initially inaugurated by King George V in 1908 while it was yet under construction (in 1911); opened in 1912 and additional changes were made in 1915.
(Photo Credit – Architecture & Design)
Being a popular venue for Bollywood film shows in the 1970s and 1980s, the Opera House was very popular for hosting plays, dramas, Hindi films, music concerts, etc. In its redeveloped state, it is also well known for hosting stand-up comedies, etc. However, after being in existence for many years, it was closed down in 1997 and restoration work to this grand theatre began in 2008. While the exterior restoration was completed in 2011, the restoration in its entirety was completed in 2016.
Some interesting facts about the Opera House are:
1) This theatre was conceived by Maurice Bandmann – a famous entertainer from Calcutta and Jehangir Framji Karaka who headed a coal brokers firm.
2) The current owner of the Royal Opera House is His Highness, Maharaja Shri Jyotendrasinhji of Gondal (a city in Gujarat).
3) The Royal Opera House has a baroque design (architecture using visual and theatrical effects to surprise and awe the viewer) of the Opera house which incorporates a blend of European and Indian detailing.
4) In 1935 Mahatma Gandhi is said to have held a public meeting at the Opera House.
5) The earliest films that have been screened here were the British Pathe films – the black and white reels.
6) In fact, in 1935 the opera house was modified to accommodate movie screenings and fashion shows.
7) Performances of all types and concerts by legendary figures such as Lata Mangeshkar, Prithviraj Kapoor, Dinanath Mangeshkar and Bal Gandharva were held here.
8) Many film shootings and great premieres took place here. Most of the Raj Kapoor films were premiered at the Royal Opera House.
9) Initially, the opera house catered to the city’s elite – a globalized layer of Indians, British officials and a few Europeans.
10) By the 1970s many interior changes were made in the interiors of the building to convert it into a more modern or Art Deco style theatre having multi-tier baroque side balconies.
On the 30th of December, I was able to visit the Royal Opera House to watch the Mumbai Comedy Festival which is in its 5th year. There was a whole lineup of comedians such as Gurleen Pannu, Srijan Kaushik, Shreeja Chaturvedi, Shamik Chakrabarti, Tarang Hardikar, Sumaira Shaikh, Sonali Thakker and Vaibhav Sethia.
While there was a host of entertaining jokes in both Hindi and English from these entertaining YouTubers, Comedians and Content Creators, there were some really funny moments that got the entire hall laughing hard! I’m already excited to visit this venue again for another event!
1 Comment
Good research